School was finally over. I carried my elephantine school bag as I trudged out of the school and headed toward the bus stop when I spotted the familiar dent on the metal pole of the bus stop. I suddenly remembered that dreadful day. Images just came back - the noises, the traffic, the passers-by. Scenes kept on replaying in my head like a thousand times a minute.
It was during peak hours. My friend, Tom, and I were strolling out of the school gates. Tom was the shortest boy in class. He was friendly, funny and chatty. We immediately launched into our usual morning chatter and finally reached the bus stop. We sat down on one of the benches and continued our tete-a-tete.
Suddenly, a ear-splitting honk sliced through the thin air. Chaos broke out and people were running helter-skelter past us as screams reverberated in the air. A bus was accelerating towards us! What should I do? Without a second to spare, I immediately dashed off and dodged the bus but Tom, due to his short legs, could not escape fast enough. Instantly, hair-raising sounds of metal scraping resounded through the air. When I spun over, I let out a gasp of horror at the scene. Tom was stuck under the gigantic wheels of the bus, groaning in excruciating pain. I stopped dead in my tracks for Tom's legs were nowhere to be found as they had been crushed like an insignificant bug. Blood was oozing out of the wound and the sight of it almost made me faint.
With a hiss, the bus opened its doors and the passengers poured out of the vehicle, all shaken and benumbed. The smell of petrol soon permeated the air and invaded my nostrils. I ran to Tom and cried, "I will save you!"
Tom flashed a grateful smile and spoke in a soft voice as if every word would have caused him excruciating pain. "Look like I can't make it! Don't help me. Leave me and go save yourself before it is too late." Blackish swirls then clouded his vision and he closed his eyes.
My tears just fell like a string of pearl necklace. How could I leave my friend here to die? How could I? The smell of petrol was getting stronger than ever. I took a last look at Tom and ran hell for leather as far as possible as if there were no tomorrow.
Kaboom! Suddenly, the bus exploded, throwing me toward the hard tarmac ground. I turned and looked back. Billows of dark smoke were ascending upwards. I knelt down as salty tears flowed down my cheeks and splashed onto the road. My surroundings blurred out as I could only focus on the charred metal wreckage.
Sirens filled the air as firefighters arrived and battled the raging fire. The police and the ambulance came too and the police officers cordoned off the area while the paramedics rushed out to offer medical help to all the injured. After a few hours, the firemen finally put out the fire and removed the charred metal wreckage. There, Tom lay, black and burnt to the bones.
"Boy! Stop blocking the way!" a gruff voice called out. I was suddenly jolted back into the present. I turned and saw an old lady staring at me furiously. I immediately swerved to one side and let her pass. Even now, after a few years, I could still remember vividly Tom's cheeky grin and his hilarious jokes. Now, I could hear and see him - no more.
(Written by Oh Shaowei, P6. Edited by Mrs Julie Lee)
Source: Straits Times
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